KARACHI: Expressing extr­eme annoyance over encroachments on parks, playgrounds and other amenity plots in the city, the Supreme Court on Saturday directed all land controlling authorities, including cantonment boards and the Defence Housing Authority, to ensure removal of encroachments from their respective jurisdictions within one month.

The provincial government and other civic authorities — Karachi’s cantonment boards, DHA, Karachi Water & Sewerage Board, Karachi Port Trust, Pakistan Railways, Lyari Development Authority, Malir Development Authority, Karachi Development Authority and Karachi Metropolitan Corporat­-ion — earned the ire of a two-judge bench of the apex court for failing to remove encroachments.

The court took up a constitutional petition of Naimatullah Khan, a former Karachi mayor, against conversion of amenity plots into commercial ones and an application of a woman seeking contempt of court proceedings against authorities concerned for allotting her plot to another party in violation of the court order.

SC asks whether the govt has handed over Karachi to ‘ad hocism’

Justice Gulzar Ahmed, who headed the bench, came hard on the authorities and noted that a better part of the city was also occupied by the contentment boards and DHA as well as a similar situation prevailed in other parts of the city.

The bench that also comprised Justice Maqbool Baqar issued notices to chief executives of Karachi’s all cantonment boards and DHA administrator, directing them to carry out anti-encroachment operation within their respective jurisdictions.

The apex court asked the cantonment boards chiefs to submit the compliance report within one month.

Chiefs of the KWSB, KPT, Pakistan Railways, LDA and MDA were also directed to furnish reports reflecting full details of the lands allotted to them for the needs of their respective departments.

The court ordered that such reports should apprise the purposes for which the lands were now being used as to whether the lands given for them for specific purpose were in departments used or were being applied for other purposes.

“All these reports shall be made available to the court by all agencies within a period of one month and the responsible officials of these departments shall also be present before the court,” the order read.

The KDA director general informed the judges that the lands evacuated from illegal occupations were in possession of the KDA itself, and it was going to make use of these lands in accordance with rules as well as in the best interest of citizens of Karachi.

The counsels representing the KDA and the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) submitted that further removal operations to evacuate amenity plots was being conducted on a day-to-day basis but they decried short of resources.

They requested the court to direct the Sindh government to provide adequate recourses and funds to comply with its orders in letter and spirit.

Sindh Advocate General (AG) Barrister Zameer Ghumro assured that the provincial government would provide all required recourses and funds to the KMC and KDA to ensure the compliance of the apex court’s orders.

Justice Ahmed came hard on the AG when after learning that he did not carry a report of removal operations with. “Where is the report?” asked Justice Ahmed on which Mr Ghumro replied that he could not gone through some documents as the case file was in Islamabad. “How it is possible that no one has file,” he wondered.

The court expressed severe displeasure on the provincial government for not appointing regular municipal commissioner, asking from when the department was headed by an ad hoc commissioner.

“The whole system is being run on adhocism, it seems that Karachi is handed over to ad hocism,” a visibly irked Justice Ahmed snapped, saying Karachi was 10th biggest city of the world but now it had turned into a ‘bomb’ owing to encroachment and it could explode any time.

“The Sindh government had introduced safe city project but no progress was witnessed as the National Accountability Bureau did not issue any letter,” said Justice Ahmed, asking the provincial law officer what was their governance.

Justice Baqar remarked that the government should understand the potential of this city and province.

Later, the hearing was adjourned to a date which will be fixed after one month.

Published in Dawn, February 4th, 2018